Fake Criterion Hard Boiled DVDs on eBay!

[MacReady]

I purchased a copy of Hard Boiled about three months ago on eBay. I remember that at the time there would usually be one or two copies for sale and they could fetch about 80$ used and 150$ sealed (Canadian). Then a massive wave of them appeared on eBay, like 12 or 15 at a time (sometimes there could be 3 different copies of them or sale on eBay). What was even more suspicious was the alarming number of them still had factory seals and went for prices cheaper than alot of sealed Criterion DVDs available on Amazon. I suspected bootlegs, and so did the people on another forum I belong to dedicated to Criterion DVDs. A guy on that forum spoke about a Hard Boiled he got during the time when there was a massive flood of them. After a wait of about a month it arrived and he was suspicious and asked about the DVD authenticity. Here, you can find the entire conversation on this link. (http://www.criterionforum.com/index.php?showtopic=378) My username is (not surprisingly) Mac and the guy with the phony one is Vignir. He posted photos about the box in one of replies and I posted my list of differences between his and mine. If you got a Hard Boiled DVD somtime in the last 2 months, check out the photos and the replies after wards to see if yours is a bootleg or not. I'm just here to try and warn possible buyers.

[scubasteve]

Thanks for the heads up. Just wanted to let you know though that the link needs a username and password so we can't see the conversation.
Thanks though.

[MacReady]

Allright, here's a photo of a bootleg and here's the response I gave:

http://www.simnet.is/indy/criterion/boiled2.jpg

1. The bar that says "Criterion Collection" on the disc itself it silver instead of black like mine.

2. Inside the box just below where the disc is kept mine has the words "PRESS CENTER BUTTONS TO RELEASE".

3. Instead of a single button within the halo of the box to keep the DVD from falling out that says "push", I have more of a "nuclear symbol" pattern. Essentially, it's a pie seperate in three thirds with each saying push.

4. Finally, those "clamps" that allow the DVD box to remain close. What's strange is that your DVD box seems to have them on the "inner spine" of the box, the part that connects the place where the insert is kept with the part that holds the DVD.

That's about what I spoted.

[APzombie]

I just purchased what I believed was an authentic Hard Boiled Criterion DVD over Ebay for a really good price (granted it was real).

1. The bar that says "Criterion Collection" on the disc itself it silver instead of black like mine.

The Criterion bar on my disc is also black, the lettering is reflective and silvery, like yours.

2. Inside the box just below where the disc is kept mine has the words "PRESS CENTER BUTTONS TO RELEASE".

mine doesn't

3. Instead of a single button within the halo of the box to keep the DVD from falling out that says "push", I have more of a "nuclear symbol" pattern. Essentially, it's a pie seperate in three thirds with each saying push.

Our boxes are different, mine has two "push" pieces that are shaped together like a ying-yang. They are common with other dvd's.

4. Finally, those "clamps" that allow the DVD box to remain close. What's strange is that your DVD box seems to have them on the "inner spine" of the box, the part that connects the place where the insert is kept with the part that holds the DVD.

Yup, our boxes are different. My guess is that I purchased a bootleg too (due to similer disc layout) and the seller of the DVD just placed the film in a different type of empty box. This sucks, I thought it was lagit... oh well.

I'll try to get a picture of it later. Thanks for the info Mac.

[wisdomsword]

I bought one of those fake Criterion Edition DVD in Richmond, B.C. a few month ago.
I knew it was fake but it only cost CDN $8.00.
Most of the extra are cut out.
They only keep the movie and it was also compressed to a lower video quality, I think.

[MisterChristian]

I have a *legit* copy if you're interested. Still sealed.